USC vs. Georgia Tech: Postgame Grades from Trojans Loss in 2012 Sun Bowl

USC and Georgia Tech fought in the 2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 29, and Georgia Tech came out on top 21-7.

USC and Georgia Tech started the Sun Bowl off with excellent defense, which was rather unexpected from both sides of the ball. The first score was a Georgia Tech touchdown in the second quarter.

Georgia Tech led the third and fourth quarters off with touchdowns, and USC simply could not overcome the adversity that the wind and the Yellow Jackets threw at it.

The game was marred by intermittent breakdowns of every aspect of the USC team. From special teams to the secondary, every unit on the squad made at least one crucial mistake throughout the match.

Click through the slides to see the complete postgame grades for the USC Trojans as they fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Quarterback

Overall Grade: C+ (It was only his second career start.)

Max Wittek had a terrible game, but there were many factors that contributed to his performance. This slide will only cover the aspects that were his fault. Wittek was starting in only his second game when he took the field against Georgia Tech, and it showed.

The more experienced Yellow Jackets defense baited him into throws, pressured him at every turn and batted his passes around like they were playing tetherball. His freshman status was quite obvious during the 2012 Hyundai Sun Bowl.

In the fourth quarter, he ended the two potential scoring drives with interceptions. The second interception of the quarter allowed Georgia Tech to kneel and run out the clock.

Max Wittek: 14-of-37 for 107 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

Wittek was simply outclassed by more experienced football players. On top of that, the wind was blowing hard from end zone-to-end zone. In the first and third quarters, he was throwing against the wind, and he was throwing with the wind in the second and fourth. That, plus his freshman status, added up to inaccurate throws for the majority of the game.

Running Backs

Overall Grade: A

Silas Redd accounted for 102 of USC's 205 offensive yards in the bowl game. Redd did everything he could to help USC to a win, but the offensive line got in his way. With the running lanes clogged, it's actually quite impressive that he even managed to get any yards on the ground.

Redd scored USC's only touchdown on a pass that he bobbled just long enough to confuse his would-be tackler. He regained control of the ball and had just enough separation to find the end zone. That tied the game at seven, and that was as close to victory as USC ever got.

Silas Redd: 17 carries for 88 yards, three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown.

Wide Receivers

Overall Grade: C

The wide receivers did not do a great job against the Yellow Jackets. They all had issues hauling in receptions. Considering Wittek's inaccuracy, the receivers desperately needed to retain any pass they could touch. They dropped passes, let passes slip through their hands and even took their eyes off the ball just long enough to lose a couple of easy pitch-and-catches.

Marqise Lee: six receptions for 41 yards.

Robert Woods: three receptions for 33 yards.

Tight Ends

Overall Grade: C+

The tight ends were not stellar, but they weren't horrible either. Xavier Grimble actually managed to work his way into the passing game fairly successfully with a huge 16-yard catch on the last USC drive of the game.

USC fans may be happy to realize that he's just a sophomore, so he can continue to develop and help the Trojans win some games next season.

The tight ends played well in the blocking scheme for the running backs and screen receivers, but they did have issues sealing the edges. They contributed to Wittek's lack of protection, but not as much as some others.

Xavier Grimble: two receptions for 19 yards.

Offensive Line

Overall Grade: D-

The offensive line was sporadically successful in giving Wittek time to throw, but it was not enough to mount a successful drive. Six of USC's 13 drives were three-and-outs, and there were other drives that were ended by lack of protection from the offensive line.

The only reason that this unit didn't get an “F” was that it protected Wittek on the last two drives of the game. Wittek then took the opportunity to toss two of his three interceptions to kill the Trojans' chances at a comeback victory.

Defensive Line

Overall Grade: A

The defensive line helped USC give up 294 rushing yards, but it held up its end of the bargain when it came to scoring defense. The line only gave up two legitimate touchdowns. The third touchdown came around the 13-minute mark of the third quarter, and it was due to the outrageous punt return that special teams gave up. Georgia Tech only had to move one yard to get that score.

The defensive line played well, and had very little to do with USC's loss to the Yellow Jackets. All the Trojans need now is linebackers and a secondary, and they'll have a defense that will rival those of Stanford and Oregon.

Linebackers

Overall Grade: C+

The linebackers didn't fare as well as the linemen did, and they were a bigger part of the Georgia Tech rushing success. The linebackers play a much bigger role in the defense when facing an option offense, and that's saying a lot, because linebackers are already the meat of any defense.

The linebackers only allowed two methodical drives that ended in points for Georgia Tech, and the defensive line played a big role in allowing both drives. Fortunately, 14 points is not enough to kill the grade for the linebackers. USC's offense should be able to score 14 points in its sleep, even with a backup quarterback.

Defensive Backs

Overall Grade: C+

The linebackers didn't fare as well as the linemen did, and they were a bigger part of the Georgia Tech rushing success. The linebackers play a much bigger role in the defense when facing an option offense, and that's saying a lot, because linebackers are already the meat of any defense.

The linebackers only allowed two methodical drives that ended in points for Georgia Tech, and the defensive line played a big role in allowing both drives. Fortunately, 14 points is not enough to kill the grade for the linebackers. USC's offense should be able to score 14 points in its sleep, even with a backup quarterback.

Lamar Dawson had the play of the game when he picked off the Yellow Jackets as they were heading for the end zone a second time. Without that pick, this game could have gotten ugly. It wasn't pretty anyway, but it was definitely not as ugly as it could have been.

Special Teams

Overall Grade: C

The punting team performed well for 99 percent of the game, and the kickoff team did even better than that. The field-goal unit missed an opportunity early in the game, but that turned out not to matter much.

While most of the punts were successful, the third quarter saw UCS's squad allow a 56-yard return off a 30-yard punt. Georgia Tech set up shop on the one and scored the go-ahead touchdown. That was a huge failure that cost USC dearly in the grades.

Even an “A+” performance can be shot dead by one major mistake. The special-teams units don't get a lot of chances to hit the field, especially when the quarterback tosses interceptions instead of allowing the kicking team to punt the ball away. That makes the mistakes statistically heavier than on any other part of the team.

Kyle Negerete: eight punts for 352 yards (44 yards per punt) with three downed inside the 20.

Coaching

Overall Grade: D

Despite what the scoreboard said, USC's defense played well. That means that somebody on the sideline knew what to do when faced with adversity. The offense, on the other hand, was grossly incapable of moving the ball for the entire game, with the exception of three drives.

The play-calling was horrendous. The Trojans came out on offense, and you knew exactly what was going to happen. Georgia Tech knew exactly what was going to happen. USC proceeded to do it anyway, and that falls on the play-callers. Since everybody knows that wasn't the freshman quarterback, it falls squarely on Kiffin's shoulders.

The coaches made zero adjustments until the final minutes of the game. They knew how to respond when things got truly desperate. The problem was that the situation felt desperate long before the coaches made the changes on offense.

The coaches seemed content to sit on the sidelines and watch a football game. Hopefully, some of them get to sit somewhere next season and watch a whole lot of football. It's nice to dream, anyway.